The 2025 New York Mayoral Race Will Finally Have a Winner Very Soon

The United States is a big country, and so it's unusual for a race for mayor to receive so much national attention. New York City has always been something of an exception, though, and that's especially true in 2025. Thanks in large part to Zohran Mamdani and his surprising success, many are following the mayoral race pretty eagerly.

Election day is set for Nov. 4, but many naturally want to know when the race will actually be called. Here's what we know.

Early voting in the mayoral election ended on Nov. 2, and election day is Nov. 4. Polls will be open across New York City on Nov. 4 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Results in the race should start to be tabulated as soon as polls close, and depending on how close the race is, it's possible that the result could be announced later that evening. If the result is closer, the announcement could come sometime on the morning of Nov. 5.

What's clear either way, though, is that this race, which has been in the headlines for months, is in its final stretch. The race, which is between Mamdani, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, has dominated the news cycle in part because it's one of the most significant contests of the 2025 election cycle, and in part because of the unique story of Mamdani.

Thanks to his on-the-ground campaign, his almost complete focus on cost of living, and his willingness to be both a proud progressive and openly Muslin, Zohran Mamdani has surprised many both in New York and across the country with his political success. Mamdani is currently leading in polls of the city, but he has been laser-focused on closing out this race after a surprising victory in the Democratic primary earlier this year.

Core to Mamdani's appeal is his focus on the cost of living, and his promise to freeze rent across the city and to make busing in the city free. Even as he's focused on cost-of-living concerns, though, Mamdani has also had to deal with attacks relating to his youth and inexperience (he's in his early thirties) and his position on the war in Palestine.

If he does get elected, Mamdani will have to prove that his effectiveness as a campaigner will translate into good governance. New Yorkers have a long and proud history of electing mayors whom they eventually grow to dislike, and Eric Adams, the sitting mayor, is embroiled in a substantial corruption scandal even now.

Although New York is the biggest city in the country, it's not a city that is entirely self-sufficient, and Mamdani's control will still be limited. Even so, he's brought hope to many New Yorkers who felt disheartened by the politics in their city. If he manages to win the mayoral race, it will be a pretty significant event in American politics.